One of the problems – or, perhaps, the best things – about Gothic Horror is that it does tend to be sad. Usually, there are at least one or two characters who don’t deserve whatever is happening to them, or who have done something which is being punished in a way which does not in any way fit the crime. M.R. James’s writing is perhaps a constant reiteration of the old proverb, “curiosity killed the cat”, but curiosity in itself isn’t a bad thing; while Jonathan Harker in Bram Stoker’s Dracula finds himself in the initial dangerous situation through no fault of his own. Perhaps the saddest story in this anthology is The Lady Who Dances in the Ashes , which was first published by Sley House in Tales of Sley House 2022 . Here is the story of a man who is facing professional and financial ruin as a result of suggesting that mental health patients can be treated in the community rather than institutionalised. He is one of the most sympathetic narrators you will find in the book, but he bad...
As a writer, you're increasingly told to show don't tell. It's one of those phrases which has infiltrated all lessons from the highest ranked authors to the little primary school child taking their first steps into writing. Ironically, there are now so many clichés in this particular idea that it is now becoming something of a cliché itself!
But one particularly significant area of inspiration and writing when this works at its best is when we are dealing with the supernatural. By its very meaning, the supernatural transcends the laws of nature. It's our job as writers of historical fiction not only to convey that but - and this is a real biggie! - to acknowledge and accept that these beliefs were true.
Belief in these ideas (which, at best, now get you labelled as quirky) was commonplace in history, and you need not look too far back to find them. According to surveys run ten years ago, 34% of people in the UK said they believed in ghosts, and 42% of people in the USA said the same. That level of belief in something beyond or parallel to the norm is still very present.
So, is it plausible to use this in historical fiction? Absolutely! And don't be talked into rebranding it as historical fantasy. If you have a character in Europe during the early Middle Ages, they will have believed so entirely in what the church told them, it will have been wholly true, right to the point that they would buy their way into heaven or light the pyre under anyone who dared to challenge their belief. Thinking beyond the church's teaching was often seen as the influence of the devil, and there was no doubt in anyone's mind that the devil did indeed have horns and a pointy tail.
But it was not just the church's views of things beyond the realm of normality which people believed in. Local areas had their own supernatural happenings. Local ghosts, black dogs, fairies, witches, you name it! And, as far as we as writers are concerned, they were all real. Why? Because they were real to our characters.
So, while Caledon is historical fantasy because it is the supernatural which changes the plot, The Year We Lived is not fantasy because the characters govern their own paths - albeit with their own strong beliefs in superstition and the paranormal. And writing both - or either - is equally as exciting!
What does this have to do with show don't tell? Well, by our definition, the rules of normality and nature cannot apply, so you can't possibly tell someone about it anyway! It would be like colour to a blind person: meaningless. Look for ways around the explanation of the experience. Emotions are great for this! You don't have to go into details about why your character feels a certain way, you only have to convey a connection between the character and your reader. Remember - research in this area is at least as important as research into the clothes/manners/foods/etc of the time, and it will tell you as much (or even more) about your characters.
And don't forget, a supernatural experience is usually a personal one. There are no rights or wrongs in how your character chooses to react.
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